Boot and overshoe rack



July 4, 1961 w, RAFFERTY 2,990,960

BOOT AND OVERSHOE RACK Filed Aug. 13, 1959 BY flaw W ATTORNEYS PatentedJuly 4., 1961 2,990,960 BOOT AND OVERSHOE RACK Alphonstis W. Rafferty,1889 Manor Drive, Muskegon,

Mich), assignor of one-half to Henry L; Smith, Muskegon, Mich.

Filed Aug. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 833,630 2 Claims. (Cl. 211-45 Thisinvention relates to a boot and overshoe rack especially suitable forstoring wet and dirty boots and overshoes.

During rainy and snowy weather, it is customary for people to done bootsand overshoes when walking about outdoors. Upon going indoors the bootsand overshoes are removed until the next occasion arises again to gooutside. Usually, in most homes and oflice buildings, the wet boots andovershoes are left on the floor or porch or hall near the doorway. Waterand mud on the boots and overshoes tend to run off and collect inpuddles on the floor. This is an unsightly condition and in manyinstances a safety hazard. Consequently, there is a need for ways andmeans for storing boots and overshoes and for preventing Water and mudfrom collecting on the floor.

An object of this invention is to provide ways and means for storingboots and overshoes.

A specific object of this invention is to provide ways and means forstoring overshoes and for receiving water and mud therefrom.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide a boot andovershoe storage rack which prevents water and mud from overshoes placedthereon from collecting on the floor and yet which can be readily andperiodically, if necessary, cleaned.

Still another specific object of this invention is to provide a boot andovershoe rack of simple and economical construction.

These and other objects which may appear as this specification proceedsare achieved by this invention which shall be described with referenceto the drawings, which drawings form a material part of the disclosure.A brief listing of the drawings follows.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the bootand overshoe rack of this invention, which view shows a boot in positionon the rack.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional View of the boot and overshoe rack of FIG.1, which view has been taken as along the sectioning plane 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a space divider member of the boot and overshoe rack of FIG.1.

The drawings disclose a boot and overshoe rack based on the generalconcept of an open top container having a closed bottom and adapted toreceive and hold boots, rubbers, overshoes and the like.

Within this broad concept is a more specific concept of the open topcontainer having a downwardly sloping bottom with a drain outlet in theregion of the lowest portion of the bottom and a drain cup aflixed tothe bottom of the rack for receiving drippings from boots and the likepositioned within the rack.

Another specific concept involved in this invention resides in the opentop container having a front wall which, from the top end to the bottomend thereof, slopes inwardly towards the back end of the container. Incombination with this concept is another concept of placing the top endof the front wall of the container at a lower elevation than the top endof the back wall of the container whereby boots and overshoes may beplaced in the rack, toe downward, with the heel and sole thereof againstthe back wall and ankle and leg portions thereof against the top end ofthe front wall.

These and other concepts are present in the preferred embodiment shownin the drawings.

The drawings specifically disclose a boot and overshoe rack 10comprising an open top container 11, a plurality of divider means 12 anda drain cup '13.

The open top container 11 is a molded plastic, troughlike box having aback wall 15, a front wall 16, side walls 17 and a bottom 18. Thebackwall 15 with the rack 10 in normal use position will generally bevertically disposed adjacent a wall and the like. To hang the rack 10 onthe wall, the back wall 15 is provided in the region of each sidethereof and near the top thereof with an eyelet opening 19 for receivinga fastener such as, for example, a nail or screw extending outwardlyfrom the wall on which the rackltl is to be hung.

The front wall 16, spaced forwardly from the back wall 15, slopesinwardly towards the back wall 15 from the top end of the front wall 16to the bottom end thereof. In addition, the top end of the front wall 16is at a lower elevation than the top end of the back wall 15.

In the region of the top end of the back wall 15 are a plurality ofinwardly protruding embossments 21. In the region of the top end of thefront wall 16 there are also provided a plurality of inwardly protrudingembossments 22. In the embodiment shown, the embossments are actuallyintegral parts of the respective walls. The embossments 21 are spacedfrom one another from one side of the back wall 15 to the other side.The embossments 22 of the front wall 16 are similarly positioned and inalignment with the opposite, corresponding embossment 21 of the backwall 15. Each embossment 21 and 22 has an open top hole 23 therein forreceiving a corre-' sponding end of a divider means 12.

As best shown in FIG. 3, each divider means 12 com prises a wirelike rod24 having at each end thereof a downwardly extending end portion 25.Each end portion is intended to be inserted into the hole 23 in eachembossment 21 and 22. The wire rod 24 is intended to span the gapbetween oppositely disposed embossments 21 and 22 and therebyfunctionally divide the open top container 11 into a plurality of bootand overshoe receiving spaces or compartments 26. Preferably, the lengthof the wire rod 24 is sufficient to enable the end portions 25 to justbe seated in the hole 23 of the oppositely disposed receptacle members21 and 22 without a load being placed on the front wall 16. Hence, notonly do the rods 24 function to divide the open top container into theshoe receiving spaces 26, but also to support and reinforce the frontwall 16.

The bottom 18 of the open top container 11 slopes downwardly towards thecenter of the container 11 from each of the side walls 17. At the centerregion of the bottom 18 there is provided a drain opening 28 through thebottom 18. Extending downwardly from the bottom 18 and surrounding thedrain opening 28 is a drain spout wall 29. At the bottom end of thedrain spout wall 29 and about the outer perimeter thereof there isprovided an outwardly extending bead 30.

The drain cup 13 is a molded plastic, cuplike receptacle adapted to beremovably mounted to the bottom end of the drain spout Wall 29. It is soadapted by means of an inwardly extending rim portion 3 1 at the opentop thereof. The slight elasticity of the material of constructionof'the drain cup 13 is sufficient to enable the drain cup 13 to bemounted by snap action on the bottom end of the drain spout wall 29 withthe inwardly extending rim portion 31 seated on top of the bead portion30.

To assemble the rack 10, the divider rods 12 are placed into positionwith the ends 25 seated in the holes 23 of the embossments 21 and 22.The drain cup 13' is mounted on the bottom end of the drain spout wall29. The rack is then hung on fasteners through the eyelets 19.

To use the rack 10 boots and overshoes are simply placed into the shoereceiving spaces 26. Preferably, in the case of boots and overshoes, theshoe is placed toe down with the heel and sole against the back wall andwith the front of the shoe top resting on the top end of the front wall16. This is indicated by the illustration of -a boot 33 in the drawings.In this position, dirt and water from the boot can drip down into thebottom of the container 11. Water and mud on the bottom 18 of thecontainer run down through the drain opening 28 and into the drain cup13. Periodically or whenever the drain cup 13 becomes full, the same maybe demounted from the end of the drain spout wall 29, dumped, washed outand then remounted.

Thus, there is provided a boot and overshoe rack of simple constructionand of economic construction. It can be made from readily availablematerials. Plastic materials are especially suitable. In this regard,polyethylene, polypropylene and polyesters unreinforced or reinforcedwith such reinforcement materials as fiber glass, for example, aresatisfactory.

A feature of advantage of the boot and overshoe rack of this inventionis the fact that moisture and mud from boots and overshoes placedtherein are prevented from reaching the floor. Still another feature ofadvantage of this invention is the ready cleanability of such.

These and other advantages and other embodiments will be apparent tothose in the exercise of ordinary skill in the art upon reading theforegoing specification. Thus, only one divider -12 may be used wherebythe rack may be suitable only for one pair of shoes. On the other hand,more than two pairs of spaces 26 may be provided. In such case, thespacing between the dividers may vary so that, for example, one pair ofcompartments or spaces 26 is suitable for a pair of childrens boots andanother pair of spaces or compartments 26 is suitable for a pair ofadult boots.

Since this invention may be embodied in several forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the precedingdescription is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive since thescope of the invention is defined by the claims rather than by thedescription preceding them and all embodiments which fall within themetes and bounds of the claims are intended to be embraced therebyunless the claims expressly state otherwise.

I claim:

1. A boot and overshoe rack comprising: an open top molded plasticcontainer having back, front and side walls and a transversely andnormally downwardly sloped bottom with a drain opening at the lowestportion of said bottom, said back wall having at the top thereof eyeletopenings for hanging said rack on fasteners secured to a wall, saidfront wall from the top thereof to the bottom thereof sloping inwardlytowards said back wall with the top of said front wall being lower thanthe top of said back wall, said back and front walls having oppositelydisposed, transversely spaced embossments with vertically disposedopenings at the top ends thereof; means functionally dividingtransversely the interior of said container into boot and overshoereceiving and holding spaces, said means comprising a wire-like memberfor each pair of oppositely disposed embossments, said wirelike memberin each case having at each end thereof a downwardly extendingprojection corresponding to said openings in said embossments insertedinto said openings; and drain cup means detachably secured to saidcontainer about said drain opening.

2. A boot and overshoe rack comprising: an open top molded plasticcontainer having back, front and side walls and a transversely andnormally downwardly sloped bottom with a drain opening at the lowestportion of said bottom, said bottom comprising a downwardly extendingspout portion about said drain opening, said spout portion about theopen end thereof having an outwardly extending bead means at least onthe front and back thereof; said back wall having at the top thereofeyelet openings for hanging said rack on fasteners secured to a wall,aid front wall from the top thereof to the bottom thereof slopinginwardly towards said back wall with the top of said front wall beinglower than the top of said back wall, said back and front walls havingoppositely disposed, transversely spaced, embossments with verticallydisposed openings at the top ends thereof; means functionally dividingtransversely the interior of said container into boot and overshoereceiving and holding spaces, said means comprising a wirelike memberfor each pair of oppositely disposed embossments, said wirelike memberin each case having at each end thereof a downwardly extendingprojection corresponding to said openings in said embossments insertedinto said openings; and molded plastic, drain cup means detachablysecured to said container about said drain opening, said drain cup meanshaving substantially the same shape in plan view as the outlet end ofsaid spout portion and having at the top thereof and at least on the twoopposite sides thereof corresponding to said two opposite sides of saidend of said spout portion an inwardly extending, elastic rim portionengageable by snap action with, and for resting on, said outwardlyextending bead means of said spout portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,030,940 Subberg July 2, 1912 1,406,097 Snickers Feb. 7, 1922 1,428,350Zimmerman Sept. 5, 1922 2,028,337 Lane Jan. 21, 1936 2,415,518 NiesnerFeb. 11, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,914 Great Britain Aug. 3, 1894 461,288Great Britain Feb. 15, 1937

